“By the way, Captain Prescott,” went on
Colonel Cleaves, handing him a small piece of paper,
“can you account for this?”

As Dick Prescott took the paper and glanced at it
he felt himself turning almost dizzy in bewilderment.

CHAPTER IV

AS IT IS DONE IN THE ARMY

“That is your handwriting, is it not, Captain
Prescott?” demanded the regimental commander.

“It looks just like my handwriting, sir, but
I’ll swear that I never wrote it,” declared
astonished Dick, still staring at the little piece
of paper.

“Yet it resembles your handwriting?”

“Yes, sir. If I didn’t know positively
that I didn’t write any such message then I’d
be about ready to admit that it is my handwriting.
But I didn’t write it, sir.”

“Pass it to Captain Holmes. I will ask
him if he has seen this note before.”

“No, sir,” declared Greg, very positively,
though he, too, was startled, for it was hard to persuade
himself that he was not looking down at his chum’s
familiar handwriting.

The note read:

"Dear H. Stick to what we agreed upon, and we
can cook C’s goose without trouble. P."

“May I speak, sir?” asked Dick.

“Yes, Captain.”

“Then I desire to say, sir, that I have not
the least desire to see Captain Cartwright in any
trouble. Hence, it would have been impossible
for me to think of writing such a note. More,
sir, it would have been stupid of me to risk writing
such a note, for Captain Holmes and I sat in my quarters
until it was time for us to leave on our way to our
respective company offices.”

“And while in your quarters did you discuss
this affair of your trouble with Captain Cartwright?”

“To the best of my recollection, sir, we did
not mention it,” Dick declared.

“Is that your recollection, Captain Holmes?”

“Yes, sir.”

“And this is not your handwriting, Captain Prescott?”

“I give you my word of honor, sir, that I did
not write it, and did not even discuss the matter
with Captain Holmes.”

“I do not understand this note in the least,”
Colonel Cleaves went on. “Of course, Captain
Prescott, I am bound to accept your assurance that
you did not write this. I do not know how the
note came here; all I know about it is that I found
it on my desk, under a paper weight, about fifteen
minutes ago, when I came in.”

“It is the work of some trouble-maker, sir,”
Greg ventured.

“Do you know anything about this note, Captain
Cartwright?”

“No, sir,” replied that officer, flushing
at the intimation that he could have had anything
to do with it, for Greg had passed the paper to him.

“I will keep that note, then,” said Colonel
Cleaves, taking it, “in the hope that I may
later find out how it came to be here. Captain
Cartwright, do you deny that Captain Prescott did no
more than to parry your blows and thrust you back off
your balance?”